Category: Our Blog

As promised, I wanted to write a follow up to my Liver/Gallbladder Cleanse I performed last week. First of all, I thought I would see a million gallstones when I went to the bathroom, like other people. I did not. I did see a bunch of really tiny ones, like the size and color of very small peas (like 3mm wide). I chalked that up to regularly supporting my liver and gallbladder function with AF Betafood, and to adhering to a lower carb/no sugar/no grains/largely organic diet. Basically, I chalked it up to keeping my liver in relatively good shape. What I did notice, however, was that the pain in my upper back and left arm increased after the cleanse. This I thought, didn’t seem to make sense. Wasn’t it supposed to remove toxins from my liver and gallbladder, making me feel better? When I was checked with Nutrition Response Testing, we found that my liver was stressed out with chemicals and metals, causing my pain. With the application of Ls (from Systemic Formulas), and some antifungal remedies, I felt a lot better. My theory is that the liver/gallbladder cleanse moved some toxins out, but some others needed help. So all in all, I’d say that my liver/gallbladder cleanse was a success, but needed some help in the form of Nutrition Response Testing to totally take effect. I think I’ll perform it once a month, and see how I feel. I’ll keep everyone updated here!

I would also like to respond to an astute reader (thank you for reading, by the way!) who pointed out that NutraSweet is a poison. Indeed it is. And I do occasionally indulge in a diet Coke. I hope I don’t come across as a person who thinks that they have a perfect diet. I definitely do not have a perfect diet. I live here in this world with everyone else. My intent for sharing my food diary is to show what a generally healthy diet could look like. I make an effort every day to eat well and to make good choices. Not all of my choices are good. In some cases, it’s a matter of what’s “less bad.” In the case of the NutraSweet, it is definitely less bad for me personally to have some NutraSweet than to have refined, white sugar. For others, it could be different. I hope that makes sense. If anyone ever has any questions or wants to call me out on something, please do so!

Someone asked Dr. Sheehan recently why he promotes his practice. Read on for his answers 🙂

Q: What do you experience when you see the family and friends of your patients get results from your care?

Dr. Sheehan: I feel great, being part of someone’s experience in improving their health. I really feel like I’ve helped them for the rest of their life, by opening their eyes to healing without drugs and surgery.

Q: Do you ever see patients that have had unnecessary or failed back surgeries?

Dr. Sheehan: I see this all the time. I see people and patients who get unneeded surgeries, whose lives are forever changed for the worse. Once you cut something you can’t uncut it. Doctors rarely communicate the way surgery will limit people’s lives in the future. They also don’t tell them with the right natural healthcare, chiropractic, nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction, that just about everything is fixable.

Q: Do you ever see patients that take, or have taken, toxic drugs to alleviate their symptoms that you were able to alleviate naturally?

Dr. Sheehan: I see this all of the time. Most of my patients tell me that they don’t want to be on drugs, but that they did not know that there was an alternative. My mission is to tell EVERYONE that there is a natural solution for just about everything, one without drugs and surgery.

Q: How would have the lives of these people been changed had you been able to adjust and treat them years earlier?

Dr. Sheehan: What I notice is that once people get onto the drug/surgery treadmill, it’s very hard for them to get off, and get back to being truly healthy. With our care here, we help people attain their health goals, and maintain their health for life.

Q: Since you are not supported by pharmaceutical companies or hospitals for your community education, how can you get the word out to your community?

Dr. Sheehan: I rely on word of mouth mainly to get the word out. People who are interested in getting healthy without the use of drugs and surgery refer in others like themselves. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate referrals from my patients, because I know I’ll like them too!

So this week I decided to perform a liver/gallbladder flush. I’ve been working on ridding my body of toxic metals and chronic infections for a while now, and I know they can leave deposits on the liver, so I decided to give it a go. Here’s what I did:

Days 1-7-I drank 1 quart of apple juice. The pectin in the apple juice softens the stones, so that they are easier to pass. Honestly, just adding a quart of apple juice started my liver/gallbladder flush, as I started getting symptoms of cleansing (more bms, coughing up some mucus, less shoulder pain). Next time, I’ll add 90 drops of Phosfood (from Standard Process), to help soften the stones more.

Day7-Three hours after lunch I took 8 Disodium Phosphate (once again from Standard Process) with 1 quart water. Two hours after that, I took another 8 Disodium Phosphate with 1 quart water. Disodium Phosphate act as a mild laxative, and it helps to flush bile out of the liver and gallbladder, while relaxing the bile duct to make stones come out easier.

For dinner, I just had a couple of grapefruits, but you could just use whatever citrus fruit you wanted.

At bedtime, I made a mixture of 4 oz. unrefined, extra-virgin olive oil, and half of a lemon. I followed it up with 8 oz. of grapefruit juice. Then I went to bed, lying on my right side, with my knee pulled up for about ½ an hour. This much olive oil stimulates the gallbladder and liver to release their stones. As an aside, I had an old instructor in chiropractic school tell me to drink 1 quart of olive oil for my first cleanse in 1997! Yikes! I felt totally horrible! Doing the cleanse like I’m laying out now worked much better! In the morning, the first thing I did upon waking up was take 8 more Disodium Phosphate with 1 quart water.

About an hour after I took the Disodium Phosphate, I started passing the sludge and stones in my stool. Overall, it took about 1 hour to totally clear. Honestly, I was expecting larger stones, but I only got a multitude of small ones (most were about 3 mm wide).

Depending on how I feel over the next week, I plan to perform a gallbladder/liver cleanse once a month. Overall, it wasn’t too tough an experience, and I think it’s great for liver/gallbladder health.

(Please only attempt this liver and gallbladder flush under the supervision of an appropriate professional.)

Here’s Laura’s Food Journal for the last few days:

Friday, September 4, 2015

8AM: coffee with coconut oil, 1 sausage, avocado and pico de gallo

1 PM: Around the Clock Diner in York 🙂 Turkey with white gravy (I scraped most of it off), broccoli, side salad with blue cheese dressing

So Laura and I decided to take the plunge last week, and do the Standard Process Purification program.

I must say, I’m very pleased. I’m sleeping better, I feel more flexible, I’m saving time by doing less cooking, and I’m noticing I’m detoxing more of my old Lyme’s toxins. So I give it a unanimous thumbs up!

Mostly what we’re eating are SP Complete shakes. I get a lot of requests for recipes, so I decided to put it here. I even have these shakes for breakfast!

1 cup cubed zucchini (or whatever veggie you like, we have tons of these right now!) Cucumber even works here. It’s refreshing!

1 cup spinach, kale, or whatever green you like

1 cup blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or whatever berry you like (Stay away from high sugar fruits)such as bananas, mango, and pineapple)

1 serving SP Complete

1 tablespoon Essential Balance (this has a good balance of omega 3, 6, and 9 fats)

1 serving Sheehan Whey (I tend to use Strawberry Sheehan Whey)

1-2 cups Coconut Milk

A couple of ice cubes (if desired)

I put this all in my Vitamix, and blend it for about 30 seconds. It’s loaded with vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, protein, and phytonutrients. I have 3-5 of these per day.

If you have any shake recipes you think are particularly good, feel free to tell me at the office!

Here’s Laura’s diet log for the last several days:

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

7:00 AM: coffee with coconut oil, 1 protein shake (see above)

12:30 PM: 1 piece salmon, cooked onions, eggplant and zucchini

3:30 PM: almonds

5:30 PM: another shake

8:30 PM: leftovers from Texas Road House: 2 chicken critters with ranch, a cup of chili (which is not so tasty cold)

I had an interesting few days on my cleanse. Keith and I are doing the SP Purification. Doing this cleanse has brought front and center to my attention that I am very addicted to food. I was feeling depressed last evening (which thank God has not continued) and I really wanted to drive to the store and buy some Utz’s potato chips, the old fashioned style–you know, the ones cooked in lard that I can rationalize to myself that I am making a healthier choice while I munch away and before I know it the whole bag is just about gone? It’s funny, this time for some reason I started humming “No One’s Leaving” by Jane’s Addiction–yes, I listened to Jane’s Addiction in high school–and then that song “Jane Says” came to mind.

“I’m gonna kick tomorrow, I’m gonna kick tomorrow” sings Jane (being quoted in the song). The entire song is incredibly heart-breaking and just a raw depiction of the addicted life. I thought to myself, in no way are potato chips as bad as the addiction that Jane suffered. I vaguely chastised myself for that weak rationalization. Then I pondered the song lyrics for a few more minutes. Carbs and sugar on the one hand…heroin on the other hand…I realized something I already knew. Although one could argue that sugar is comparatively not that “bad”, both sugar and heroin are substances that are used to create a change in brain chemistry. And when under the influence, one is running away from one’s problems. And in running away from dealing with one’s problems, we become stunted in our emotional and spiritual growth. The addicted life is a hollow life. I believe this because I have seen this around me in my life. I am struggling to grow and I am dedicated to growing as a person and it has been running away into–especially foods, but other things too, like daydreaming and idle mindless activities that take me somewhere else for a while–that has been a major barrier to me being the person I want to be in life.

“Jane says I’m going away to Spain, when I get my money saved, gonna start tomorrow.” The addicted life is a life of dreaming for a better tomorrow that never comes because one does not change one’s actions in life to actually achieve the desired goals. One is constantly either indulging in or obsessing about one’s particular fix. I thought about the potato chips again. “Meh.” I said to myself, pondering the awesome crunchy saltiness and actually not wanting it. So I stayed in last night instead and studied Shiatsu, but I did have a sugar-free Klondike bar and some diet coke. Oh well, nobody’s perfect 😀

Dr. Sheehan and I started the SP Purification Program on Monday. We are both already feeling better! I had been waking up with sweats around 3:30am and having trouble getting back to sleep, and I’m happy to say it’s much better. And Dr. Sheehan is noticing his skin clearing up and relief from some aches and pains. So if you are looking to boost your healing process to the next level, I highly recommend the cleanse. If you are curious about what we eat on the cleanse, check out my food log below.

But first, Dr. Sheehan is contributing a recent case study on chiropractic and nutrition this week. He writes:

“Chiropractic Nutrition case of the week
Once a week, I will be writing about the Chiropractic Nutrition case of the week. I’m doing this to illustrate how Therapeutic Nutrition works, and why it is so important in the practice of Chiropractic.
Jane (I changed her name for her privacy) came into me about one month ago complaining of severe back pain over her entire back. Knowing her history, I knew that she was severely osteoporotic, and had a history of compression fractures in her spine. I knew that I could barely touch her, any pressure or movement caused her severe pain. When I checked her, I found that what her body actually wanted was a nutritional supplement, not an adjustment. Being trained as a chiropractor, I found this particularly odd. We were always trained that for every pain there is an adjustment. However, because of my training in Nutrition Response Testingsm, I knew that oftentimes the body will want nutritional therapy rather than any physical treatment. Knowing Jane’s history, I knew that she was under tremendous stress, which puts severe stress on the organ systems and uses up huge amounts energy, vitamins, and minerals. So I tested her out. Her heart said that it needed support, in the form of Cardio Plus. Jane loved Cardio Plus, she swears to this day that it cured her Lyme Disease (even though I explained to her that Nutrition Response Testing never treats any disease). So I gave it to her, with specific dosage instructions on how and when to take it.
Later that night, I called her to see how she was doing. Jane was still stressed, but said that the improvement in her back was miraculous. She noticed improvement right away. She thanked me, and told me she’d see me next week.
What did I learn from this? I learned to always ask the body what it wants when a person comes into my office. Sometimes they want an adjustment, sometimes they want a nutritional supplement, sometimes they just need more water (I see that about 25% of the time, nearly all of a person’s problems are from dehydration). I also learned that often times, when the Chiropractic adjustment by itself doesn’t relieve pain, it’s because something else is causing the pain. Finding this true cause negates the need for repeated adjustments, physiotherapy, etc. Just something to think about.”

Lunch is my least favorite meal. Right smack dab in the middle of my work day, when the last thing I want to do is take a break and prepare something to eat. I have often wished for a microwave during these times so I can buy a frozen dinner, but that will be the topic of another post. However if I do not eat lunch my head starts to swim and I begin to have trouble stringing words together coherently. So this past Sunday Dr. Sheehan and I worked out our lunchtime solution: stew. Isn’t stew the solution most of the time, no matter what the problem is? We purchased veg at a farmer’s stand at Eastern Market at Musser Park and meat at CostCo. Lunchtime stew, prepared in a quantity large enough to eat throughout the week. It was delicious! And requiring only reheating for a few minutes on the stovetop, it provided an excellent solution to my lunchtime food grouchies. That is, my need for healthy food but my lack of desire to prepare it, specifically at lunchtime.

Corn cut off 7 fresh ears (this is optional, if you do not tolerate grains or starches at all, skip this)

Coconut Oil, lots

About 1 Tablespoon Himalayan salt, to taste

Just cook up the veg in the coconut oil until it softens slightly. Add the meat and basil and then simmer over low heat for about 40 minutes to an hour. Add the salt near the end of cooking. Allow to cool, portion into single-serving containers. We got about 10 servings (about 2 cups per serving).

Did you know that a sunburn is actually a sign of nutritional imbalance? It means you don’t have enough calcium in your tissues. Tissue calcium provides sun protection. And just because you have enough blood or bone calcium does not necessarily mean you will have enough in your skin. Essential fatty acids (EFA’s) help mobilize calcium to the tissues and the skin, but unfortunately most of us are deficient in EFA’s, calcium, or both.

Easy Sun Protection Protocol

The good news is, there is an easy protocol if you want to protect yourself out in the sun that does not involve toxic chemical lotions. Just take 6 Calcium Lactate and 6 Cataplex F tablets every 2 hours during sun exposure. If you have very fair skin or the sun is especially strong, you can take that same dose every hour. Use in combination with a natural sunblock for best results, depending on your skin type.

What kind of results can you expect from using these products for sun protection? We hear our patients report they would not do without the Cataplex F and Calcium Lactate when they have to go out in the sun. My own experience with this protocol? I can use the gentlest most non-toxic sun block and the supplement protocol combined, and stay out in the sun for hours. I have very fair skin, but I get a healthy rosy glow.

I have been having left-sided neck pain for about a month, going down into my shoulder. I know it is related to a nutritional issue because in the past, my neck pain has gone away when I took the correct nutrition. But this particular case has been more stubborn than usual. I have been frustrated with the persistence of this neck pain. So this morning I asked Dr. Sheehan to check me using Nutrition Response and really localize the area of pain and find out what it is coming from. Well, I’m sorry I asked (in a way, but I wanted to know the truth, so I am glad I asked). What is affecting my neck pain is my spleen. Now the spleen is a very mysterious organ that I have written about before. When the spleen is active it indicates chronic immune system problems and a predisposition to autoimmune problems. Autoimmune issues run in my family. So naturally I am concerned and I want to take care of my spleen and get this neck pain better, but also prevent future health problems. The best way to take care of the spleen? Take the proper spleen support supplements, of course, but it is also necessary to avoid ALL sweets, and dairy. I have done this before, but to be frank, I have been slipping. I love yogurt so I have been eating more, and more fruit has been sneaking in, and I’ve been using honey and other sweeteners more as well. But as of this morning I am back on the wagon. I don’t have a diet log either 🙁 but here I am back at the beginning. I’m ready to do this! The health of my spleen awaits!

And tomorrow I am embarking on a 15-mile hike…Mount Marcy, the highest peak in New York State. Dr. Sheehan and I are busy making preparations, and indeed are almost out the door. I haven’t done too much prep or training for this…we’ll see how it goes 🙂 Have a lovely holiday weekend, and may all your plans go smoothly!

Recently Dr. Sheehan and I have been studying up on moods and brain physiology. There are two excellent books that will give you great insight into moods and brain function. They are “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life” by Daniel Amen, M.D., and “The Mood Cure” by Julia Ross. When you combine the knowledge from these books and muscle testing, it’s possible to find a solution to many mood disorders very quickly. Let me use myself as an example. I cut out sugar and that pretty much cured my depression. But I still had the potential to be quite moody, get stressed easily, and feel very scattered. After I started taking the amino acids (amino acids are building blocks that make up proteins) that Dr. Sheehan recommended to me, my mood was up, and I mean within 20 minutes! My PMS symptoms and concentration improved as well. We have also been observing results like this in our patients.

I like Julia Ross’s book because she is a nutritionist who ran addiction-treatment clinics. She was using good nutrition and dietary supplements (esp. amino acids) to treat addiction in the 80’s. She talks about “good-mood foods” and “bad-mood foods.” If you have ever eaten a clean diet, you will know the difference from experience! And her recommendations are right in line with what we recommend in our office. Both books are worth a read.

Another recommendation for great overall mood health is to eat plenty of fish. Salmon, tuna, sardines, and other wild-caught fishes 3 or more times a week is highly recommended. Fish feed the brain, soothe the nervous system, and provide lots of protein for building. The Omega-3s in fish are in the form that is most easily useable by the body to help reduce inflammation which supports the heart, brain, hormonal balancing, immune system, musculoskeletal system, healthy weight, and body pain.

Here is my diet log for the last couple of days:

Monday, June 22, 2015

7:00 AM: naked burger with mustard on a bed of greens, coffee with coconut oil